Hong Myung-baek’s second home game was free of criticism from fans. Instead of booing, fans in attendance chanted “Korea” and cheered for the Taegeuk Warriors.
The South Korean men’s national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated Iraq 3-2 at Yongin Mir Stadium on Friday at 8 p.m. in their fourth home match of the third Asian qualifying round for the FIFA World Cup North America 2026.
The victory consolidated eos파워볼 South Korea’s top spot in Group B and marked Hong’s first home win since taking charge.
It was Hong’s second home game in charge.
It followed a 0-0 draw against Palestine in the first leg at the Seoul World Cup Stadium last month.
Only 59,579 fans filled Seoul World Cup Stadium for the match against Palestine. This was a far cry from the 65,000-plus seats that were sold out as soon as tickets went on sale for the two A matches this year.
The fans in attendance also booed loudly when Hong appeared on the big screen at the end of the player introductions. This was in contrast to the cheers they were giving when the players were introduced.
In addition to criticizing Hong and Chairman Jung Mong-kyu, the fans also chanted “Jung Mong-kyu, get out” during the game.
The official attendance on the scoreboard at Yongin Mir Stadium, where the match against Iraq was played, was 35,198.
According to the Korea Football Association, most of the seats were sold, except for some obstructed view seats. As the ticket sales rate was higher than the Palestine game, the support for the Taegeuk Warriors has also increased.
The fans, who still energized the players with applause when they were introduced, did not boo Hong’s face during the match.
There were no “oohs” or “ahhs” when Hong’s face was shown on the big screen in the middle of the game. Unlike the Palestine game, there were no negative signs directed at Hong.
Chairman Chung Mong-kyu was not shown, so it is impossible to know how the fans reacted to him, but the criticism of Hong Myung-bok was somewhat muted.
The team has also put to rest the turf controversy that erupted during the September A match.
On September 5, South Korea faced turf problems after a 0-0 draw against Palestine in the first round of the tournament. The Seoul World Cup Stadium, the “mecca of Korean soccer,” was labeled as a “paddy field.
At the time, Son Heung-min said, “There are many players with good skills, but the fans had difficulty controlling the ball and dribbling.” The grass was criticized.
As a result, the Iraq game was played at Yongin Mir Stadium instead of the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
At the time, the Korea Football Association said, “After checking the condition of the turf through due diligence on site, we determined that there was a limit to improving the turf before the Iraq match, even if we utilized various measures such as preservation.”
Yongin Mir Stadium, which opened in 2018, has hosted the women’s national soccer team’s A match before, but not the men’s national soccer team’s A match.
This year, professional soccer’s K League 2 Suwon Samsung is using the stadium as a temporary home, but it hasn’t hosted many matches until recently, so the ground is in good shape.
It’s a far cry from the empty, patchy grass of the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
The national team is also excited about the grass at Yongin Mir Stadium, which is in good condition at first glance.
Before the game against Iraq, Hong said, “It’s different from the grass in the Middle East, but it’s not bad. We will adapt to it quickly. I don’t think it will affect our game.”
After the pre-match press conference, the team also practiced at the Yongin Mir Stadium and were very satisfied.
“The whole squad is fine (with the turf),” said an official from the KFA, ‘and Hong was very happy with the condition of the turf. He said, ’It’s a great advantage for our players to play on this kind of turf. The players agreed.”
During warm-ups, the passes flowed smoothly, and there were no frowned-upon bounces.
Of course, this is a stopgap measure, and it’s important to have a systematic, long-term plan in place to maintain the turf in the future.
The stadium also faced the challenge of dealing with traffic congestion for regular use.
Long before kickoff, the roads around the stadium were gridlocked, and the nearby Samga and Giheung stations on the Yongin Light Rail were overcrowded.
According to the Football Association, a total of 581 officers, including seven riot squads, two commando teams, 13 intelligence teams, 34 local teams, 23 transportation teams, and seven commando teams, were operating around Yongin Mir Stadium that day.
They were assigned to protect the players, manage stadium safety, and maintain traffic order.
However, concerns about the accessibility of Yongmir Stadium were realized, and congestion was not easily resolved.
There were also concerns about the safety of many spectators leaving the stadium at once.
